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New York Office
The Rev. Dr. Emma Jordan-Simpson
Executive Director
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 As Executive Director of the Children's Defense Fund-New York, the Reverend Dr. Emma Jordan-Simpson is responsible for leading the organization's strategic direction and day-to-day operations and acting as CDF-NY's lead advocate on behalf of children to New York's elected officials, policy makers and communities.
Prior to joining the Children’s Defense Fund, she served as Pastor for Programs at the Concord Baptist Church of Christ in Brooklyn, NY, as the Executive Director of Girls Inc. of New York City, and as the Executive Vice President for the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation.
She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Fisk University, a Master of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary and, Executive Level Certificate in Not for Profit Management from Columbia University Business School, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Drew Theological Seminary.
She serves on the Board of Directors for Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, the Brooklyn Community Foundation, the Weeksville Heritage Society and the Concord Christfund. She is also a member of the Black Women for Black Girls Giving Circle.
Jennifer Marino Rojas
Deputy Director
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As Deputy Director, Jennifer Marino Rojas is responsible for research, policy development, and legislative and administrative advocacy on issues related to the health, early childhood education, juvenile justice and well-being of children. She also oversees CDF-NY's program and organizing efforts related to health, tax credits and public benefits.
Prior to joining CDF-NY, Ms. Rojas spent nine years at the New York City Administration for Children's Services (ACS). Starting as a staff attorney in the Bronx Family Court, She spent several years in the Division of Legal Services at ACS focusing on legislative issues affecting children. After working for two years as Chief of Staff to the Commissioner, she was appointed as the Associate Commissioner for Child Care and Head Start. Following a high profile child death in January 2006, Ms. Rojas was asked to move into the Division of Child Protection as the Associate Commissioner for Administration, where she was charged with making changes and improvements to the system that would allow frontline staff to better protect children.
Ms. Rojas received her Juris Doctorate from the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America and her B.A. from Marist College.
Robyn Furman
Director of Development
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Robyn Furman has worked at CDF-NY since 2002. As Director of Development, Robyn is responsible for leading the development of resources and relationships to fund, further and strengthen CDF-NY’s agenda. She oversees foundation and corporate relations, major gifts and special events.
Previously, she was the Development Associate for The After-School Corporation and Clearpool, Inc. Prior to her career in Development, Robyn taught seventh grade Literary Arts at MS 321 in the Bronx where she also taught after-school and summer remedial literacy and mathematics and advanced mathematics programs. While at MS 321 she served as the Union Consultation Committee Liaison between the teaching staff and school administration.
She received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Delaware and did her graduate work at the College of Mount St. Vincent. She currently chairs the Junior Advisory Board for the Committee for Hispanic Children and Families and sits on the Friends Committee for the Cornelia Connelly Center, a neighborhood-based, independent Catholic middle school on the Lower East Side of Manhattan serving low-income girls. Robyn has also served on the Executive Committee for the Advisory Council of the Children’s Aid Society.
Jaime Tackett Koppel
Sr. Program Associate
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In March 2009 Jaime Koppel transitioned from serving as a consultant to her role as Senior Program Associate. In this role, she is helping to link CDF-NY's policy work to a community organizing agenda by cultivating relationships with and coordinating efforts of New York and New Jersey CDF Freedom Schools programs. Jaime is also involved in policy research and advocacy.
Jaime has worked in both the nonprofit and public sectors. In 2007, Jaime was selected as an Education Pioneers Fellow and worked with the NYC Department of Education’s Office of Portfolio Development on charter school development and small school initiatives. Prior to that, Jaime served as Chief of Staff for the Executive Deputy Commissioner of New York City's Administration for Children's Services where she also worked as Director of Development and Special Projects.
For the past eight years, Jaime has managed the nonprofit organization she founded in 2001. Bilingual Education for Central America (BECA) provides a quality bilingual education to disadvantaged Honduran children through the recruitment and training of service-minded volunteer teachers. Before moving to Honduras, Jaime worked in alumni relations and development, first for her undergraduate alma mater, Hamilton College and then for Aiglon College in Switzerland. Jaime has a Master degree in Public Administration from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). Jaime says she “feels like she has come home” since joining the CDF-NY team as her work allows her to so neatly blend her commitments to child welfare and education.
Kinda Serafi
Director of Policy
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Kinda Serafi has worked with CDF-NY to advocate for the improvement, simplification and alignment of public benefit programs since 2005. Kinda’s policy work includes analysis of the impact local, state and federal policy will have on the well-being of New York’s children and families.
Previously, she was the Director of Legal Advocacy and Organizing at Lenox Hill Neighborhood House where she launched and managed a multi-disciplinary civil legal services department. Prior to her practice at Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, Kinda was a Law Guardian at The Legal Aid Society, Juvenile Rights Division in the Bronx where she represented children in abuse and neglect, custody, visitation and adoption proceedings. She also served as the Deputy Director of Programs and Policy at the Children’s Defense Fund in Washington D.C.
She received her Bachelor of Arts from Georgetown University and her Juris Doctorate from the State University of New York at Buffalo, School of Law.
Gabriela Silverio
Field Organizer
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Gabriela Silverio has worked with CDF-NY since 2007. Gaby specializes in outreach and organizing around critical supports for working families including public health insurance, food stamps, the Earned Income Tax Credit and child nutrition programs. Her work includes providing technical support trainings and outreach to community-based organizations as well as analyzing the impact public health policies have on enrollment and retention.
Gaby comes to CDF-NY with over six years of experience with Alianza Domincana’s Facilitated Enrollment Program where she served as Project Coordinator and supervised the work of 10-12 personnel who staffed programs including a facilitated enrollment program for Medicaid, Family Health Plus and Child Health Plus; the Healthy Heart program and the Community Health Workers program at the Center for Health Promotion and Education.
Gaby holds an Associate degree from Katherine Gibbs School in New York and she was recently honored, in June 2008, by Casa Atabex Aché as a Women’s Warrior (Mujer Guerrera) for her demonstrated commitment to social justice, human rights & world peace.
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